School Chooser

Dowlais Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11Council194 pupilsMerthyr Tydfil
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWales doesn't publish results for primary schools, so there is nothing to score. Attendance, pupils, staffing and budget are below.
Attendance91.0%Wales 92.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%
Pupils with additional learning needs18%
Pupils on roll194
NeighbourhoodBelow-average income areaWelsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025
Pupils per teacher23.6

Dowlais Primary School is a council school in Caeharris for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has 194 pupils. Teaching is in English.

High Street, Caeharris, CF48 3HB01685 351808All details

Inspection

Schools in Wales are inspected by Estyn, not Ofsted. Since September 2022 Estyn's reports describe what a school does well and what it needs to work on, without giving a grade.

Estyn's latest report, and any follow-up visits, are on Estyn's website. The only schools given a formal label are those in special measures or needing significant improvement.

Find this school's Estyn reportsMy Local School (Welsh Government)

Results

Wales stopped publishing results for individual primary schools in 2019, so there are none to show. Attendance, pupil numbers and staffing below come from the Welsh Government's My Local School.

Getting a place

There is no entrance test. The council hands out the places. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups go first; after that, the closer you live, the better your chances.

Teaching is in English.

You apply through Merthyr Tydfil council, not the school.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll194
Pupils from low-income families33%Three-year average; Wales –
Pupils getting extra support18%Additional learning needs; Wales –
Pupils learning English14%First language is not English or Welsh
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils24%
LanguageEnglish mediumEnglish medium school / provision
NeighbourhoodBelow-average income areaIf Wales's neighbourhoods were split into ten groups from poorest to wealthiest, this one is in group 4 (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025)
How the mix of pupils has changed
Year202520242023202220212020
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals32.6%32.7%31.4%25.6%21.2%18.0%
Pupils getting extra supportAdditional learning needs (ALN)18.1%12.6%5.7%9.1%19.4%14.8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language13.9%11.9%10.6%11.9%9.4%9.5%
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupilsBAME pupils23.6%22.2%25.2%26.6%25.2%22.3%

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.0% of the time. Across primary schools in Wales it was 92.8%. Wales doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on exclusions, for individual schools.

Attendance91.0%
Wales 92.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Trend
Attendance
2019 to 2025
2019: 93.3%93.3%20192023: 88.8%88.8%20232024: 90.9%90.9%20242025: 91.0%91.0%2025
Since 2019: -2.3%

Staff and budget

From the Welsh Government's My Local School, 2025/26.

Budget per pupil£6,9072025/26, Wales £5,678
Trend
Budget per pupil (£)
2020 to 2026
2020: 4,5654,56520202021: 4,5394,53920212022: 4,6454,64520222023: 5,0695,06920232024: 10,45810,45820242025: 6,5226,52220252026: 6,9076,9072026
Since 2020: +2,342

The budget is the money the council gave the school to spend per pupil in 2025/26, £1,229 more than the Welsh average for primary schools. Small and rural schools tend to get more per pupil.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m21412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate88 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£145,000Merthyr Tydfil
Nearest bus stop50 mAntelope, 13 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Pantysgallog Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles412Estyn, no grade–Compare
Gellifaelog Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles226Estyn, no grade–Compare
Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic SchoolRoman Catholic1.2 miles989Estyn, no grade95Compare
Gwaunfarren Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles280Estyn, no grade–Compare
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Santes TudfulCouncil1.4 miles411Estyn, no grade–Compare
Goetre Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles413Estyn, no grade–Compare
Twynrodyn Community SchoolCouncil1.6 miles298Estyn, no grade–Compare
Cyfarthfa Park Primary SchoolCouncil1.9 miles437Estyn, no grade–Compare
Primary schools in Merthyr TydfilBest primary schools in Wales

Questions parents ask

Is Dowlais Primary School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Dowlais Primary School yet.

How many pupils does Dowlais Primary School have?

194 pupils aged 4 to 11.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
High Street, Caeharris, CF48 3HB
Telephone
01685 351808
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Religious character
None
Local authority
Merthyr Tydfil
Ward
Dowlais and Pant
Constituency
Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
URN
402227 · School number 6752355
Language
English medium school / provision
Official recordMy Local SchoolDownload this school's data (CSV)

Recent changes

  • PhaseCode changed from “Primary” to “Other”
  • TypeCode changed from “Community school” to “Welsh establishment”
  • Pupil numbers changed from “194” to “–”
  • Free school meals % changed from “32.6” to “–”
  • ReligiousCharacter changed from “None” to “–”

Where these figures come from